Youth loyal to power and opposition to meet in face-off in Moscow on elections day

November 17, 2011, 13:05 UTC+3The opposition is sure that the basic purpose of Nashi is to suppress possible meetings of those who would not agree with calculation of votes

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MOSCOW, November 17 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia’s Central Elections Commission /CEC/ has not seen any violations in the plans of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi /Ours/ to organise in Moscow a national convention on the day of elections to the State Duma on December 4. The opposition is sure that the basic purpose of Nashi is to suppress possible meetings of those who would not agree with calculation of votes.

First information about the large-scale event appeared several days earlier in social networks, the RBC daily reports. “We expect about 30,000 participants,” an activist from St.Petersburg Anastasiya Shipilina wrote in her blog. The forum will be supported by Rosmolodezh /youth policy authority/ and now organisers put together lists of participants. She suggests filing a motivated application for participation in the event, and to those above 18 she suggests bringing with them to Moscow their absentee voter certificates to vote here. Most active participants will be chosen by the presidential administration over the forum, and they will become responsible for a new youth project, she promises. Nashi’s federal commissar, Maria Kislitsyna, says that during the forum of civil activists the youth will patrol streets to prevent possible provocations and to support the United Russia party.

Russia’s CEC did not see any violations in the plans of Nashi to organise a national convention on the elections day, the Novye Izvestia writes. Neither did it see any violations in the fact that activists are invited to come to Moscow having their absentee voter certificates. “A youth organisation may have its congress any day,” CEC’s Secretary Nikolai Konkin said on Wednesday. “Use of an absentee voter certificate is a right of any citizen.” Formally, there is nothing to argue about. But the non-system opposition prepares its own events on that day, where participants will prove that the elections were not legitimate. The Strategy 31 supporters plan to come to Moscow’s Triumfalnaya Square. Besides, the organisation committee of the Russian March address Muscovites to come to Revolutsii Square.

The opposition take the plans of Nashi as clear agitations for the ruling party, with which the movement is associated clearly, the newspaper writes. Political scientists fear massive falsifying with absentee voter certificates, which Nashi members will bring to Moscow from other cities. And the patrol of streets they declare may cause major clashes.